This is a washed curd cheese made with thermo B. I expected smallish has holes not this, which looks like late blowing to me!
I posted about this cheese in March, because soon after it went into the cave, it developed a fluorescent yellow rind on one side! (Diagnosis psuedomonas).
I left it in the cave, assuming the source of the problem was my milk collection that day, or something in the water.
The yellow color faded in about a week.
Gradually the wheel started expanding, and I just kept watching it in the back of the "cave". No problems on any of the other wheels before or after!
So I decided at about 10 weeks to cut it open....,
Quite a lot of gas release on opening, which was kind of amusing (cutting the cheese...).
However, it smells really good! Has a nice pliable paste as well.
I may eat it anyway!!
What about you, would you eat it???
Yeah I'd eat it. I made a cheese before that was contaminated with coliform, it expanded like bread dough and had numerous small holes. It tasted fine and I didn't get sick. Iirc Clostridium butyricum bacteria that causes late blowing is harmless.
Could it be P shermanii?
I bet it's late blowing, me personally, I'd toss it make a note on the make sheet and check your sanitizing procedures and milk quality.
According to a quick search, Clostridium tyrobutyricum is non-pathogenic.
It most commonly affects higher pH cheeses (Alpines, Gouda, etc) but really only if the cattle eat fermented feeds such as silage, haylage, etc. This is why fermented feeds are banned for DOC/AOP cheese milk production.
I would ask your dairy what they're feeding the cows.
Bantams- I help feed the cow, and she always get the same feed: alfalfa and oat hay, supplemented with dry grains at milking.
I milk the cow weekly, and bring home the milk and make the cheese - usually the same day.
Her milk this lactation cycle has been extensively tested due to higher than normal pH, with no growth at the lab.
None of the other wheels have had this problem.
Sort of a mystery to me!
No P. Shermanii was added!
It was quite tasty and mild. I had expected off flavors. The rind was very hard but the paste was flexible and soft and melted nicely.
That was lucky!
I hate feeding cheese to there chickens or sending to the compost!!